252 The Sugar-Beet in America 



many farmers fail and have to sell the farm at a loss and 

 seek employment elsewhere. Farming under these up- 

 and-down conditions is not satisfactory. The introduc- 

 tion of beet raising into the farming system tends to over- 

 come this variation. Fruit raising may yield higher 

 profits during favorable years, but the uncertainty of its 

 returns is not attractive to the conservative farmer and, 

 therefore, not conducive to permanent agriculture. 



PROMOTES GOOD FARMING 



The raising of sugar-beets is not consistent with poor 

 farming. Rye may be raised on land that is merely 

 scratched ; it needs but little attention in addition to the 

 work of planting and harvesting. Sugar-beets, on the 

 other hand, cannot be raised without careful attention 

 being given to every operation, from plowing to the de- 

 livery of the crop at the factory. The expense of pro- 

 ducing the crop is so great that the farmer cannot afford 

 to neglect any phase of the work; carelessness in thin- 

 ning may reduce the returns by several times the amount 

 of the cost of thinning. The farmer cannot afford to 

 allow weeds to grow, since these pests reduce the yield 

 not only by using moisture and plant-food needed by the 

 crop, but they cause a decrease in sugar formation by 

 shading the beet leaves. In a cheaper crop, the cost of 

 keeping weeds under complete control might not justify 

 the expense; but in beet fields weeds cause greater in- 

 jury than the expense of removing them. Thus, in 

 every phase of sugar-beet farming, thoroughness is de- 

 manded. This is certain to reflect in the raising of other 



